Hablas English? Arizona council orders candidate to prove she can understand English

A female candidate who is vying for a seat on an Arizona city council has been ordered to verify she is fluent in English.

City officials of San Luis, Arizona approved a motion asking that Alejandrina Cabrera meets a state law requiring any person holding office in the state, county or city to speak, write and read English.

The Yuma Sun reports the action originated from a December 14 complaint made by former Latino mayor Guillermina Fuentes, who alleged that Ms Cabrera is not fluent in English.

Mr Fuentes alleges she has had to act as an interpreter for Ms Cabrera because in many cases she did not understand what was being said.

Hablas English?: Female candidate Alejandrina Cabrerafemale who is vying for a seat on an Arizona City Council has been ordered to verify she is fluent in English

Mayor Juan Carlos Escamilla said there was no political motivation behind the initiative.

The Yuma Sun reported that the mayor said he wants to resolve the matter before ballots are printed for the March elections. The newspaper said the city wants to establish a precedent for future cases.

The mayor says his English isn't perfect but he still voted in favor of looking to verify Ms Cabrera's fluency.

'I feel I don't dominate 100%, but I can still get by. I can write, read and understand it very well. But that's why I am not the expert and that's why I directed staff to look into it,' said Mayor Escamilla.

City Attorney Glenn Gimbut said it's not only required by law, but by the nature of the work and council activities.

'We are not a little ranch, we are a large community. We represent a lot and need to be prepared,' he told the Yuma Sun newspaper.

Tensions: A political rival alleges he has had to act as an interpreter for Ms Alejandrina Cabrera because in many cases she did not understand what was being said

'A position like this requires a person to have minimal understanding (of English) in order to read resolutions and other documents,' he says in the Yuma Sun.

'It's a requirement and it must be obeyed.'

'We are completely redoing our zoning code, the drafts have been circulated, there have been public hearings, and council will be adopting law within the next 60 days. That's 125 pages of intricate material, you need to be able to read it, write it, understand it to be able to talk about it and be able to make decisions concerning it,' says Mr Gimbut.

Former mayor Guillermina Fuentes was the person who questioned the candidate according to Mr Gimbet.

'She made a formal complaint and her opinion was that one of the candidates could not read, speak or write English sufficiently enough to be a member of the city council,' says Gimbut.

Mr Gimbut is investigating the case, and said the city is acting quickly to resolve the matter.

Mr Gimbet says a scheduling conference for the case has been set for next week at the Yuma County Superior Court before Judge Nelson.